Beach groups
During the Second World War the allies realised the need for the landing zone of an amphibious assault to be organised for the efficient passage of follow on forces. The British formed such units from all three services Navy (Commandos), Army and Air Force, with the Army component comprising Infantry, Engineers, Ordnance, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, Medical and Service Corps. The equivalent U.S. units were called Beach Battalions. Formation After the Operation Torch landings the need for a beach organisation became apparent for the larger planned operations. In the U.K. Beach Groups were formed and began to train in Scotland. In the Mediterranean the equivalent organisations were called Beach Bricks and were formed in Egypt and trained at Kabrit. The Chief of Combined Operations Lord Louis Mountbatten described the functions of a beach group in late 1942:-Rogers p14 *Arrange and control the movement of all personnel and vehicles from the landing craft to inland assembly areas. *Move stores from ships' holds and craft to dumps in the beach maintenance areas. *Develop and organise the beaches and beach maintenance area in regard to defence, movement and administration, including the evacuation of all casualties and recovery of vehicles. *Provide the beach signal organisation. *The removal to the UK of casualties, prisoners of war and salvaged equipment. *The creation of dumps to hold petrol ammunition and rations that were being landed. *Assembly areas for the arriving personnel and their vehicles. For this a tri-service formation was created around an infantry battalion, added to this were smaller units from the Royal Engineers, Royal Army Medical Corps, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, Royal Army Ordnance Corps, Pioneer corps, Royal Army Service Corps and the Corps of Military Police. The Navy provided royal Navy Beach Commandos and a signal unit, and the Royal Air Force provided for beach anti-aircraft defence. The beach commandos were composed of 76 officers and men, led by the one Principle Beach Master and three Beach Masters, who would land assaulting troops and have the following duties:-Rogers pp31-3 *Marking the limits of the beachhead *Set up a protected area for the beach commander to operate from *Calling in landing craft to the beach via radio, signal lamp or loud-hailer. *Unloading landing craft according to priority. *Providing salvage parties to recover damaged landing craft, stores and equipment. *Providing fire fighting parties, using modified DUKWs *Ensuring personnel and equipment could move through the beachhead as quickly as possible *Mooring landing craft correctly Each commando was to control the landing area for a brigade, they were subdivided into a headquarters and three sub units each controlling a battalion landing area. They wore army battledress with navy headgear. The infantry component was intended to be a fighting force if any pockets of resistance remained on the beach immediately after the landings.Rogers p20 After the beach was secured the battalion was to provide manpower for any other tasks, for example 6th Battalion Border Regiment was split up as follows,Rogers p167 *A and D Companies - beach companies *B Company - a labour unit of the ammunition section of the beach ordnance detachment *C Company - reserve *S Company - (the carrier, mortar and anti-tank platoons), to provide labour for the petrol depot. As well as the treatment and dispatch of casualties back to Britain, the Medical Corps was also tasked with the provision of drinking water for the troops.Rogers p134 The precise mix and number of units depended of the perceived need of each location. Training Deployment On 8 June a German fighter plane dropped a bomb on the petrol and ammunition depot on Sword Beach, with the ensuing fire threatening to destroy large quantities of supplies. Men of 5 and 6 Beach Groups worked to save the supplies, and seven were awarded the George Medal.Rogers p96 *Lt.Col. R D R Sale (1 Bucks) *Maj. L Pepper (RAOC) *Lt. E Fairbrother (RE) *Sgt H Grant (Pioneers) *Sgt J S MacGowen (RAOC) *Sgt A G Wakeford (RASC) *Pte A Catley (Pioneers) Beach Groups No. 3 Beach Group Formed in the UK, it sailed to Sicily with the 1st Canadian Infantry Division, landing on 10 July 1943. It contained the 68th RAF Beach Unit. Utilised again for the Salerno landings, and attached to the British 56th Infantry Division, landing on Rodger beach on 9 September 1943, for this operation it contained the 68th and 69th RAF Beach Units. No.4 Beach Group Reserve for Juno Beach. No.5 Beach Group Landed on Sword Beach, Queen sector. 'Composition'Rogers p99-100 No.6 Beach Group Reserve for Sword Beach. 'Composition'Rogers p115 No.7 Beach Group Landed on Juno Beach, Mike sector. 'Composition'Rogers pp127-8 No.8 Beach Group Landed on Juno Beach, Nan sector. 'Composition'Rogers pp138-9 No.9 Beach Group Landed on Gold Beach, King sector. 'Composition'Rogers p156-7 No.10 Beach Group Landed on Gold Beach, Jig sector. 'Composition'Rogers p166-7 No.31 Beach Brick Sicily. No.32 Beach Brick Sicily and Italy. No.33 Beach Brick Sicily and Italy. No.34 Beach Brick Sicily and Italy. No.35 Beach Brick Sicily and Italy. No.36 Beach Brick Sicily and Italy. Reserve for Gold Beach. 'Composition'Rogers p21 References Bibliography * Rogers, Joseph and David (2012). D-Day Beach Force: The Men who Turned Chaos into Order. The History Press ISBN 9780752463308 * http://www.rafbeachunits.info/ Category:Amphibious warfare